Took a couple of plane flights the last few weeks...Twilight series in one book or another everywhere! The last time I recall seeing so many people reading the same book/series on a flight was that secrets of the Vatican book (blanking on the name...the one about Jesus' possible descendants).

03-29-2009, 01:10 AM

Mike'sgirl

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PWS;3395982;

Took a couple of plane flights the last few weeks...Twilight series in one book or another everywhere! The last time I recall seeing so many people reading the same book/series on a flight was that secrets of the Vatican book (blanking on the name...the one about Jesus' possible descendants).

Not the Da Vinci Code was it? Or was that the one....?

03-29-2009, 03:34 PM

PWS

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike'sgirl;3396133;

Not the Da Vinci Code was it? Or was that the one....?

Yes, DaVinci Code! Suffering from brain meltdown these days....

04-15-2009, 04:55 PM

Pandora Box

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

Can't stand the books. I used to be a fan but after Breaking Dawn I just thought "What the hell?" and looked back on the series with a clearer mind. I agree with the first post - badly written, anti feminist, borderline abusive relationship, Mary Sue characters, bastardisation of the vampire myth and just plain boring. Meyer's vampires aren't vampires, they bear no resemblance to vampires by any description. There are some fantastic YA books out there as well as great vampires stories, I wish some of them got attention instead of these books.

04-19-2009, 09:18 PM

Mike'sgirl

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora Box;3414896;

Can't stand the books. I used to be a fan but after Breaking Dawn I just thought "What the hell?" and looked back on the series with a clearer mind. I agree with the first post - badly written, anti feminist, borderline abusive relationship, Mary Sue characters, bastardisation of the vampire myth and just plain boring. Meyer's vampires aren't vampires, they bear no resemblance to vampires by any description. There are some fantastic YA books out there as well as great vampires stories, I wish some of them got attention instead of these books.

This has been hashed and rehashed to death, but I will just say I respect your feelings but disagree. Fiction is defined as

1.
a) An imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented.

b) The act of inventing such a creation or pretense.

2. A lie.

3. 1. A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.
2. The category of literature comprising works of this kind, including novels and short stories.

TIn other words there are no rules that say a writer must stick with traditional vampire myth when creating something imaginary. Personally, I enjoy when an author is creative enough to step outside the box, and create a new world for me. To each his/her own.

04-21-2009, 06:37 PM

PWS

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

Read about the Twilight series in two places this week--one of the news magazines I think (Time or Newsweek) had an article about whether it was "good" that the series was getting people reading if the books weren't "quality" fiction... and the other was in Ms. magazine! They didn't think Bella was a very good role model, Edward was too controlling, Bella was too blah, and Bella's "goal" in life was to be a wife and mom.... but they liked the movie version somewhat better....the relationship seemed more mutual in the film they said. They then went on to recommend some better role model young adult fiction....

04-21-2009, 07:19 PM

Pandora Box

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike'sgirl;3418389;

This has been hashed and rehashed to death, but I will just say I respect your feelings but disagree. Fiction is defined as

1.
a) An imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented.

b) The act of inventing such a creation or pretense.

2. A lie.

3. 1. A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.
2. The category of literature comprising works of this kind, including novels and short stories.

TIn other words there are no rules that say a writer must stick with traditional vampire myth when creating something imaginary. Personally, I enjoy when an author is creative enough to step outside the box, and create a new world for me. To each his/her own.

I'll have to disagree with you here too. (I like to debate so sorry if I get a bit caught up in this - no hard feelings?)

In order for something to be defined as something it must have certain characteristics. You couldn't pick up a carrot and call it a cucumber because you were putting your own spin on things because by definition it isn't a cucumber. It doesn't have any of the things a cucumber has. What Meyer did was take something and give it a label it didn't deserve because she wanted what she had created to sound dangerous - and she failed disasterously. (Jeez, carrots and cucumbers, my mind does odd things. :confused) I'd be less annoyed if she'd created something remotely resembling a new world but her descriptions are so lazy and badly written that they're as boring as the rest of her story. When I read I want to be able to see that world before my eyes and she didn't do that.

And I do agree that with fiction, you have a lot of freedom but Meyer did something that is inexcusable in fiction - she broke her own world rules. She said one thing then in a later book changed her mind. Messing with your own canon isn't creative writing, it's sloppy. I'll leave now before I bring out more vegetable metaphors.

04-21-2009, 07:37 PM

ArchieComic Fan

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

I read the first book, bought the movie. Now I'm having trouble making it through the second book (it's been about 3 months and I'm just now 1/2 through). I borrowed 3 & 4 and told the person that it could take me a while to get to them so feel free to ask for them back anytime. I can't necessarily blame it on the content as I've had trouble concentrating on books ever since I went back to college. In my case I swear textbooks have put a huge damper on my passion for reading. I would fall asleep before getting through even one chapter of college reading.

Anyway, I usually don't give opinions about how a writer researches for fantasy-based stories since I feel it is a writer's right to interpret fantasy however they wish. What really gets my ire is when movies or books take a historical event or person and take such huge liberties with the documented facts that the finished work is full of inaccuracies. Why write about something if you're going to change history? Just make up your own story (but still be historically accurate about real events even if your characters are made up). Anyway, I digress...

My take on vampires, or any mythical creature for that matter, is that they are not REAL. Until someone actually meets a vampire and can give an accurate description (presuming they live to tell about it :laugh), then just because someone ions ago described vampires a certain way does not mean that everyone from there on out should do the same. Yeah, I like to think unicorns are white and have one horn on their head and I'd probably be disappointed to read someone else describe them totally differently, but at the end of the day, people can and should be able to write whatever they want when it's fiction. So while I do understand how some people could be upset that what they've read all these years about vampires is now being presented differently, since we really have no idea what they are like (if they were real) then we can't bash an author for putting their own spin on it.

I guess I just needed to get that off my chest.

04-23-2009, 01:43 PM

Gutmutter

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

I'm enjoying this discussion here. I teach middle school. Remember that that is the target audience. They are sick to death of politically correct (good role models). A lot of the kids who read this series over and over and buy the commercialized products and have seen the movie dozens of times are the "goths". Good luck getting them to buy into anything, let alone read the same series of books multiple times and actually discuss what they've read. I agree that if you're judging by adult standards, the writing isn't top notch. And if you are a fan of the vampire genre, you may have a beef with her taking a different approach to vampires. But for better or worse, these books have captured the imagination of a generation of young adults for several years now. Not just a flash in the pan. As the other movies come out, they will fan the flames again. I guess my point is, getting certain young adults to read anything is difficult, so a series that encourages them to read has value.

04-23-2009, 02:01 PM

ClosetRTWatcher

Re: Anyone not like the Twilight series?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora Box;3420333;

In order for something to be defined as something it must have certain characteristics. You couldn't pick up a carrot and call it a cucumber because you were putting your own spin on things because by definition it isn't a cucumber.

The problem that I have with this argument is that carrots and cucumbers are real and factual things. Vampires are fictional, therefore (IMO) people are at liberty to apply whatever characteristics they want to them. I didn't think Meyer went THAT FAR outside the box in her description, I personally hought it was a fresh viewpoint on an old legend.

I also wanted to mention that I agree with Gutmutter. With some kids it is hard to get them to read anything at all, so any book that sparks their interest is a positive. It may inspire them to look for other books they might enjoy!!!